308 Messrs. C. D. Sherburii and '[\ Iredale un [Ibis, 



not definitely ascertained. Thus J. Iv. Forster described a 

 black bird, but noted there was a brown variant. His son 

 painted the Black Rail from "Taheitee,'' and this painting is 

 preserved in the British Museum (Natural History), No. 130, 

 with the native nauie " Maho " pencilled on it. This drawing 

 was copied and published with little alteration by Miller 

 under the name Rallus nigra. Forster's MS. name was 

 RaUus niinutus, and his localities were " Otaheitee et in 

 Tonga-Tabu." Latham's descriptions wore incorporated by 

 Gmelin, who introduced Latin names, and this was called 

 Rallus tahuensis, though Latham did not appear to have 

 had specimens from Tongatabu. It is probable that the 

 Tahitian Rail is distinct from the Tongatabu species, 

 es[iecially as a black Rail is known from Henderson Island, 

 viz. P. atra North {^ — iivirrayi 0. -Grant). However, it is 

 impossible to continue the name Limnocorax niyer (Gmelin) 

 for the African Black Rail, and the choice seems to be 

 between Rallus carinatus Swainson and GalUnula Jiavirostra 

 Swainson, the latter introduced as the former was inapplic- 

 able and also indeterminate. Thence it would be that the 

 African Rail would be called Limnocorax Jiavirostra (Swain- 

 son), but subspecies may be determinable. 



Pennula ecaudata (King). 

 Why this name was ever accepted is one of the puzzles 

 provided for the })resent generation by the previous one of 

 British ornithologists. The identification of "a rail, with 

 very short wings and no tail, which on that account-, we 

 named rallus ecaudotus (sic)," is surely impossible, and for- 

 tunately the publication of Miller's plate under the same 

 name negatives any further discussion. Miller's Rallus 

 ecaudata was from Otaheita, and proves to be an absolute 

 copy of G. Forster's painting No. 127, which has been 

 continually accepted as referable to the '' Otaheitean "' form 

 of the Philippine Rail. What the name of the Sandwich 

 Island Pennula is, appears again puzzling, as various students 

 have arrived at different results, but probably Rothschild's 

 usage of Pennula millsi with the other species Pennula 

 sujulwichensis is the best. 



